Barriers and missed opportunities to HIV testing among injection drug users in two Mexico--US border cities.

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Title:	Barriers and missed opportunities to HIV testing among injection drug users in two Mexico--US border cities.
Authors:	Moyer LB (AUTHOR), Brouwer KC (AUTHOR), Brodine SK (AUTHOR), Ramos R (AUTHOR), Lozada R (AUTHOR), Cruz MF (AUTHOR), Magis-Rodriguez C (AUTHOR), Strathdee SA (AUTHOR), Moyer, Laura B (AUTHOR), Brouwer, Kimberley C (AUTHOR), Brodine, Stephanie K (AUTHOR), Ramos, Rebeca (AUTHOR), Lozada, Remedios (AUTHOR), Cruz, Michelle Firestone (AUTHOR), Magis-Rodriguez, Carlos (AUTHOR), Strathdee, Steffanie A (AUTHOR)
Source:	Drug & Alcohol Review. Jan2008, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p39-45. 7p.
Abstract:	Introduction and Aims: Despite increasing HIV prevalence in cities along the Mexico--US border, HIV testing among high-risk populations remains low. We sought to identify barriers associated with HIV testing among injection drug users (IDUs) in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, the two largest Mexican border cities located across from San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas, respectively.Design and Methods: In 2005, 222 IDUs in Tijuana and 205 IDUs in Ciudad Juarez were recruited by respondent-driven sampling and administered a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic, behavioural and HIV testing history data. Blood samples were provided for serological testing of HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and syphilis.Results: Only 38% and 30% of respondents in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, respectively, had ever had an HIV test. The factors independently associated with never having been tested for HIV differed between the two sites, except for lack of knowledge on HIV transmission, which was independently associated in both locales. Importantly, 65% of those who had never been tested for HIV in both cities experienced at least one missed opportunity for voluntary testing, including medical visits, drug treatment and spending time in jail.Discussion and Conclusions: Among this high-risk IDU population we found HIV testing to be low, with voluntary testing in public and private settings utilised inadequately. These findings underscore the need to expand voluntary HIV education and testing and to integrate it into services and locales frequented by IDUs in these Mexico--US border cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Drug & Alcohol Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Description
Abstract:	<bold>Introduction and Aims: </bold>Despite increasing HIV prevalence in cities along the Mexico--US border, HIV testing among high-risk populations remains low. We sought to identify barriers associated with HIV testing among injection drug users (IDUs) in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, the two largest Mexican border cities located across from San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas, respectively.<bold>Design and Methods: </bold>In 2005, 222 IDUs in Tijuana and 205 IDUs in Ciudad Juarez were recruited by respondent-driven sampling and administered a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic, behavioural and HIV testing history data. Blood samples were provided for serological testing of HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and syphilis.<bold>Results: </bold>Only 38% and 30% of respondents in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, respectively, had ever had an HIV test. The factors independently associated with never having been tested for HIV differed between the two sites, except for lack of knowledge on HIV transmission, which was independently associated in both locales. Importantly, 65% of those who had never been tested for HIV in both cities experienced at least one missed opportunity for voluntary testing, including medical visits, drug treatment and spending time in jail.<bold>Discussion and Conclusions: </bold>Among this high-risk IDU population we found HIV testing to be low, with voluntary testing in public and private settings utilised inadequately. These findings underscore the need to expand voluntary HIV education and testing and to integrate it into services and locales frequented by IDUs in these Mexico--US border cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	09595236
DOI:	10.1080/09595230701710845